GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – They’re something we might not see as reusable – and probably even throw away.
But now a group of local women are using those plastic bags you get your groceries in to help disaster relief in Haiti – sending plastic bags crocheted into mats.
In 2010, a catastrophic earthquake rocked the already-impoverished country. Four years later, many are still living without permanent shelter, fighting disease, and struggling for clean water.
“The whole idea is to take our man-made resource that we see as waste and turn it into something useful to somebody else to make their lives better,” Judy Major said.
The women meet at the Grand Rapids YMCA and Plainfield Kent District Library, making the ‘plastic yarn’ and weaving it into mats of different shapes and sizes.
Major says the mats are used for numerous purposes and don’t need a washer and dryer.
“They’re free for us to make,” Major said. “All it takes is time.”
Their next meeting is January 29th at 1:00 p.m. at the Plainfield Kent District Library at 2650 5 Mile Rd. NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525.
